star

noun, often attributive \ ˈstär \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Definition of star

1 a : a natural luminous body visible in the sky especially at night

b : a self-luminous gaseous spheroidal celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions

2 a (1) : a planet or a configuration of the planets that is held in astrology to influence one's destiny or fortune —usually used in plural

(2) : a waxing or waning fortune or fame

her star was rising

b obsolete : destiny

3 a : a conventional figure with five or more points that represents a star; especially : asterisk

b : an often star-shaped ornament or medal worn as a badge of honor, authority, or rank or as the insignia of an order

c : one of a group of conventional stars used to place something in a scale of value

4 : something resembling a star

was hit on the head and saw stars

5 a : the principal member of a theatrical or operatic company who usually plays the chief roles

b : a highly publicized theatrical or motion-picture performer

c : an outstandingly talented performer

a track star

d : a person who is preeminent in a particular field

—

starless

play \ˈstär-ləs\ adjective

—

starlike

play \ˈstär-ˌlīk\ adjective

See star defined for English-language learners

See star defined for kids

Examples of star in a Sentence

They gazed up at the stars.
There are billions of stars in the universe.
I'm glad we didn't use the tent. It's so much nicer to sleep outside under the stars.
The restaurant was awarded four stars for excellence.
Critics give the movie three stars.

Recent Examples of star from the Web

Their records speak volumes and their players are stars in their respective leagues.

— thom craver, CBS News, "2018 FIFA World Cup: How to watch every team, every game," 17 June 2018
Sophomore outfielder Chris Gwynn was the team’s star, earning All-American honors after batting .383 and setting school records with 19 home runs and 95 RBIs.

— kirk kenney, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mississippi State coach Gary Henderson was thinking of his 1984 Aztecs when Bulldogs clinched College World Series berth," 16 June 2018
Neymar is the star, but might not be the striker in Brazil’s tactical setup.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "World Cup game times: Costa-Rica-Serbia, Mexico-Germany, Brazil-Switzerland," 16 June 2018
Guthrie introduced Mellencamp, the no-nonsense yet good-timing rock star who outlasted comparisons to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger to establish a respected career.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "John Mellencamp adds Songwriters Hall of Fame to career accolades," 16 June 2018
Suddenly directors like Gordon Parks and Melvin van Peebles had broken the color barrier, and Cicely Tyson and Diana Ross were crossover stars.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "The 'Pressure to Make Good for Your Whole People' and the Story Behind SuperFly," 15 June 2018
Novak's attorney, Michael Avenatti — better known as the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with President Donald Trump — said in a phone interview from California that there are more victims in the case.

— NBC News, "Lawsuit accuses frat brothers of sharing nude imagery without woman's consent," 15 June 2018
While the couple have been mysterious about using labels, the Saturday Night Live star certainly seemed to welcome the speculation with an Instagram photo on Friday that showed Ariana's left hand — massive ring and all.

— lindsey v thompson, Teen Vogue, "Pete Davidson Posts Instagram With Ariana Grande Showing Off Rumored Engagement Ring," 15 June 2018
Senior Cooper Marengi was the star, accounting for four of Lynnfield’s five runs.

— matt doherty, BostonGlobe.com, "Mike Vasil leads BC High; Franklin advances to Super 8 baseball final," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'star.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of star

Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra; akin to Old High German sterno star, Latin stella, Greek astēr, astron

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

star Synonyms

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, retrograde, sidereal, syzygy, wane, wax, zenith

star

verb

Definition of star

starred; starring

transitive verb

1 : to sprinkle or adorn with stars

2 a : to mark with a star as being preeminent

b : to mark with an asterisk

3 : to feature in the most prominent or important role

the movie stars a famous stage personality

intransitive verb

1 : to play the most prominent or important role

2 : to perform outstandingly

See star defined for English-language learners

Examples of star in a Sentence

The new television series stars a famous movie actress.
a concert starring some of the biggest names in the business
He starred in both baseball and football when he was in college.
She starred for the basketball team last year.
This restaurant is starred in the guidebook.

Recent Examples of star from the Web

Having originated in the U.K., the program is a dark spy thriller, starring Mark Strong as an MI6 assassin who is drawn out of retirement, returning to a sordid, violent life that's unknown to his new wife and children.

— brian lowry, CNN, "No, 'Deep State' is not a current-events show," 15 June 2018
Victorious star Avan is starring as Ulysses in the new Starz series Now Apocalypse.

— tamara fuentes, Seventeen, "Tyler Posey and Victorious Star Avan Jogia Will Play Love Interests in New Show," 15 June 2018
The Miseducation of Cameron Post This film, a recent Sundance breakout, stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a teenager at a gay conversion camp.

— seija rankin, EW.com, "The year in LGBTQ projects you need to know about," 13 June 2018
The Broadway tour, starring Desi Oakley as the pie-baking Jenna, will be June 19-24 at Bass Hall.

— sandy guerra-cline, star-telegram, "'Waitress' leads the menu of top 10 things to do in DFW," 13 June 2018
The most recent was Rob Zombie's 2009 remake Halloween II, which starred Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie.

— refinery29.com, "The Halloween Trailer Contains No Treats, Only Terror," 8 June 2018
The movie tries to convince us, in other words, that Rogers—who wrote, produced, and starred in every episode of Mister Rogers, in addition to writing more than 200 songs for the show over the course of its three-decade run—was an artist.

— k. austin collins, HWD, "Won’t You Be My Neighbor?," 8 June 2018
The biggest draw: Tom Hanks stars as Falstaff in the actor’s local theater debut.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here Are the Five Coolest Things Happening in L.A. This Weekend," 7 June 2018
Sony Pictures just released the trailer for The Girl in the Spider's Web, which stars Foy as Lisbeth Salandar, the cigarette-smoking, motorcycle-riding heroine of the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium series.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Girl In The Spider’s Web," 7 June 2018

First Known Use of star

1592

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

star

adjective

Definition of star

1 : of, relating to, or being a star

received star billing

2 : of outstanding excellence : preeminent

a star athlete

Examples of star in a Sentence

looking for star actors to play the leads

Recent Examples of star from the Web

The show hails from the all-star team of Jeff Schaffer, Kevin Hart and Scooter Braun.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "What Matters in Hollywood Today," 1 June 2018
The Top Dawg Tonight package includes a VIP visit to the announcer booth for autographs and photos with Jerry Remy, the all-star second baseman, Hall of Famer, and famous Red Sox announcer.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Happy Father’s Day: New England getaways for Dad," 29 May 2018
There was a swarm of adorable bridesmaids, a full Prince Harry beard, and an all-star guest-list that would make the Oscars jealous.

— tanisha pina, Allure, "The Best Affordable Dupes for Meghan Markle's Givenchy Wedding Dress — All for Under $1,000," 21 May 2018
There had been some hope of a return to action prior to the all-star break, which at this point would require big steps forward.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers' Jimmy Nelson to visit surgeon after reaching 'plateau' in recovery with shoulder," 16 May 2018
In his own track career, Mr. Brown was selected three times to tour as a member of the U.S. all-star team, running and winning races in Europe.

— frederick n. rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, "William 'Bill' Brown, Morgan State University track star and Harford County teacher and coach, dies," 16 May 2018
The all-star jam sessions are the icing on the cake.

— chris ball, cleveland.com, "'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: In Concert,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 2 May 2018
Inaba saw potential and star quality in Mazdzer, who bared his chest.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Dancing With the Stars': Adam Rippon, Josh Norman dazzle," 1 May 2018
A day after Justify raced to a 2½-length victory in the slop as the 5-2 favorite, trainer Bob Baffert and his star horse drew a horde of visitors to his barn at Churchill Downs.

— beth harris, BostonGlobe.com, "Justify looks to be the class of Preakness field, too," 6 May 2018

First Known Use of star

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

star Synonyms

Synonyms

big-name, celebrated, famed, famous, noted, notorious, prominent, renowned, visible, well-known;

Antonyms

anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unfamous, unknown, unsung;

Near Antonyms

insignificant, unimportant;

inconspicuous;

undistinguished, unexceptional;

unpopular;

Related Words

fabled, fabulous, legendary;

infamous;

distinguished, eminent, exceptional, great, illustrious, leading, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, remarkable, supereminent, superior;

important, significant;

acknowledged, recognized, respected;

favorite, popular, preferred;

STAR Defined for English Language Learners

star

noun

Definition of star for English Language Learners

: any one of the objects in space that are made of burning gas and that look like points of light in the night sky
: a star or planet especially in a certain position that is believed in astrology to influence people's lives
: something (such as a symbol or medal) with five or more points that represents or suggests a star

star

verb

Definition of star for English Language Learners

: to play the most important role in a movie, play, etc.
: to have (someone) as the most important performer
: to perform extremely well

STAR Defined for Kids

star

noun \ ˈstär \

Definition of star for Students

1 : any of the heavenly bodies except planets which are visible at night and look like fixed points of light

2 : a figure or object with five or more points that represents or suggests a star in the sky

3 : a very talented or popular performer

a movie star

4 : a planet that is believed in astrology to influence someone's life

She was born under a lucky star.

5 : the principal member of a theater or opera company

star

verb

Definition of star for Students

starred; starring

1 : to mark with a star or an asterisk as being special or very good

2 : to present in the role of a star

The show stars my favorite actor.

3 : to play the most important role

She will star in a new play.

4 : to perform in an outstanding manner She starred in soccer this season.

star

adjective

Definition of star for Students

1 : being favored or very popular

the teacher's star pupil

a star athlete

2 : being of outstanding excellence

a star chef

Learn More about star

See words that rhyme with star Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for star Spanish Central: Translation of star Nglish: Translation of star for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of star for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about star

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Definition of star

starless

starlike

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Origin and Etymology of star

star Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Astronomy Terms

star

Definition of star

Examples of star in a Sentence

Recent Examples of star from the Web

First Known Use of star

star

Definition of star

Examples of star in a Sentence

Recent Examples of star from the Web

First Known Use of star

star Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

STAR Defined for English Language Learners

star

Definition of star for English Language Learners

star

Definition of star for English Language Learners

STAR Defined for Kids

star

Definition of star for Students

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Definition of star for Students

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Definition of star for Students

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